Arts Fell on Alabama

Ben Kaiser: Sticking to Mardi Gras Tradition

Mobile, Alabama’s Ben Kaiser (@ben.kaiser_art) is the owner and CEO of Mirth Artists, a Mardi Gras float production company. He and his team work year-round to design and build traditional papier-mâché floats for several of Mobile's most historic krewes including the Knights of Revelry, Crewe of Columbus, and Infant Mystics.
Every year, Kaiser consults with each group's parade committee to develop relevant themes and new, jaw-dropping designs. Then, together with his team of 15 artisans, they bring them to life as large-scale rolling tableaus. His mission, he says, is to preserve and showcase Mobile’s 300-year-old Mardi Gras float-building tradition.
Sound Credits: 
Car Arriving, Idling, and Pulling Away by leonelmail -- https://freesound.org/s/429405/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 
MardiGras-Rex_2011_parade-amb.wav by soundesigner --https://freesound.org/s/116398/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 

Randi Pink: Mapping the Future

In a quiet room at the Homewood Public Library, young adult author Randi Pink is chasing her dream one sentence at a time. Here why Randi is working to put her name -- and Black stories -- literally on the map.

Mary Rhodes: Pulling Out All the Stops

A church organist reflects on a “two‑week” fill‑in job that became a 50‑year calling and shares how sacred music, sacrifice, and joy shape her life at the keyboard.

C.H. Wilson: All Hands on Art

C.H. Wilson is a Navy veteran living in Birmingham who finds healing and community while participating in InToto Creative Arts programs at his local VA.  

Bethany Moody: Gifted with Thrift

Bethany Moody weaves history and sustainable practices into her fiber art, proving that even things that have been discarded can become useful once again. 
Music: Victor Military Band, Emil Waldteufel, and Walter B Rogers. Dreams of Childhood. 1913. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-133896/

Timothy Huffman III: Finding His Mission Through His Music

Meet Timothy Huffman III: Birmingham drummer, keyboardist, and founder of Exposure Community Development Corporation. Free music lessons changed the course of Tim’s life. Now, he’s helping the next generation of Birmingham kids find their groove through his nonprofit.  

Bob McGough: Dungeons, Dragons, and Rough Drafts

Montgomery-based writer Bob McGough shares how a lifetime of playing Dungeons and Dragons prepared him for writing novels and short stories -- and vice versa!

2024 Wrapped: Sounds of Alabama

Treat yourself to some of 2024's best deleted scenes from your weekly dose of Southern creativity. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year from the Arts Fell on Alabama team!

Greta Lambert: Ghost of "A Christmas Carol" Past

Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Greta Lambert reflects on the joys and challenges of adapting Dickens' A Christmas Carol into a one-woman show during the coronavirus pandemic. In conversation with Annemarie Anderson. 

Peace Smith and Travis Hicks: Falling in Love with Stained Glass

Peace Smith and Travis Hicks of Huntsville, AL, explain how they fell in love with stained glass through a workshop at Burritt on the Mountain, and have gone on to teach the craft themselves.

Zdenko Krtić: The Sketchbook's Eternal Optimism

Visual artist and retired Auburn art professor Zdenko Krtić explains why 45 minutes of daily creativity are an essential part of his morning routine.

Moundville: Making the Past Part of the Future

800 years ago, the Mississippian cultural center now known as the Moundville site was the largest city in America north of Mexico. Discover how art and creativity contribute to our ability to understand the past and imagine the future.